Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen shared his recent interview with ABC News in an Instagram post. In the interview, he revealed that losing one of his arms had some unexpected contributions to his life.
In the sixth year of his career with Def Leppard, on December 31, 1984, Rick Allen was involved in a horrible car crash. At the time of that incident, Allen hit a stone wall and entered a field as he was trying to pass a car at a high speed. It turned out that his left arm was severed after the accident. Although doctors reattached the drummer’s arm, they later needed to amputate it because of infection.
Despite losing his arm, Allen decided to continue drumming with Def Leppard. To make him able to play drums, the band created a specially designed electronic drum kit for the drummer. With his special drum kit, Allen could use his left leg in place of his missing arm. Since that day, the talented drummer continues to play drums with Def Leppard. Moreover, he is considered among the greatest drummers of all time.
In his recent Instagram post, Rick Allen posted a video of his interview by ABC News. He then commented on the interview in the post and thanked ABC News for sharing a glimpse of his journey. Following that, he also thanked his fans for their sincere support.
Rick Allen’s Instagram post read:
“Here’s the full version of the interview that I mentioned yesterday. Let me just repeat what I said: Lauren Monroe and I had the pleasure of speaking to Phil Lipof from ABC News on ABC News Live. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of my journey and art. So emotional for me. So grateful for all of my fans who support me. I couldn’t do this without you.”
As it can be seen in the video, Rick Allen remembered that tragic car accident in the interview and talked about the after-effects of losing one of his arms. At some point in the interview, Phil Lipof asked Allen whether he would take the chance to go back and not have that accident happen. The drummer responded to this by saying that the car crash resulted in growing him in many ways. He then said it became a blessing and a huge gift for him.
In the interview, Phil Lipof asked Rick Allen that:
“If you were given the chance to go back and not have that happen, would you?”
Rick Allen then answered:
“That’s a really good question. In many ways, I think it enabled me to grow in so many ways. It became a blessing and a responsibility to other people and myself. I think that has become a huge gift.”
You can watch the full interview below.
